Amphibians and reptiles of Washington

Washington is home to a variety of amphibians (salamanders, frogs, and toads) and reptiles (turtles, lizards, and snakes). The scientific study of these animals is called “herpetology” and the people that study these two groups often refer to them as “herps.” Some “herps” are at risk because their populations are rare, declining, and/or dependent on specific habitat features — the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified these species as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” which includes species that are federal and/or state listed as sensitive, threatened, or endangered, or otherwise indicated as needing conservation attention. Some species are common, having more secure populations.

The main threat to Washington’s amphibians and reptiles is loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat from development, agriculture, forestry practices, roads, invasive weeds, and factors related to climate change. Other threats include pollution, diseases, and invasive animal species. Aquatic invasive species are of particular concern, including American bullfrog, African clawed frog, northern green frog, common snapping turtles, spiny soft-shelled turtles, and red-eared sliders (a turtle and subspecies of pond slider). These species eat, compete with, and/or spread diseases to native species.

Please help our native herps! Report your observations of amphibians and reptiles to help us with our understanding of their distribution and status in the state for conservation purposes. Please click on individual species listed on this page for specific guidance.

NOTE: Collection or transport of Washington’s native amphibians and reptiles is permitted only for research and educational activities and requires a WDFW Scientific Collection Permit. Native amphibians and reptiles cannot be kept as pets.

To protect native wildlife, it is unlawful to release captive animals into the wild (WAC 220-450-030). This includes all pet frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Check out Don’t Let It Loose to learn why releasing your pet in the wild is never a good thing to do.

Salamanders

Mole salamanders (Family Ambystomatidae)

Close up of a long-toed salamander — Long-toed salamander

These are the most widespread and, frequently, the most abundant salamander species encountered in Washington. They do not appear to require special conservation actions at this time.

Close up of a northwestern salamander on leafy ground — Northwestern salamander

This salamander is common and occurs throughout western Washington.

Adult tiger salamander with blotchy dark and light coloration. — Tiger salamander

This salamander is considered rare or uncommon in Washington; it is vulnerable due to its small number of populations, a range that is restricted to a region that has been heavily altered, and a lack of information about this species.

Giant salamanders (Family Dicamptodontidae)

Close up of a Cope's giant salamander on mossy ground — Cope's giant salamander

This salamander occurs in western Washington and Oregon, and is at risk. Main concerns for this species are land uses that contribute to stream sedimentation or elevated stream temperatures.

Close up of a Pacific giant salamander on the ground — Pacific giant salamander

This salamander is common and occurs throughout western Washington. Main concerns for this species are land uses that contribute to stream sedimentation or elevated stream temperatures.

Lungless salamanders (Family Plethodontidae)

Close up of a Dunn's salamander on a mossy surface — Dunn's salamander

This salamander’s status is of concern in Washington based on the species’ small state range, narrow environmental requirements, a need for retention of large woody debris, and riparian habitats that are not fully protected.

Close up of an adult ensatina crawling on the ground — Ensatina

This salamander is common and appears to be well-distributed throughout its historical range in Washington.

Close up of a Larch Mountain salamander on mossy ground — Larch Mountain salamander

This salamander was listed as a Washington state "sensitive" species in 1993 based on their rarity, specific habitat requirements, and need for a comprehensive approach to protect their habitat.

Close up of a Van Dyke's salamander on moss — Van Dyke's salamander

This salamander is at risk due to its limited distribution and apparently small, isolated populations. Its population trend is unknown.

Close up of a western red-backed salamander with a yellowish dorsal stripe. — Western red-backed salamander

These salamanders are common and apparently well-distributed throughout their historical range in Washington.

Torrent salamanders (Family Rhyacotritonidae)

Close up of a Cascade torrent salamander on a mossy rock — Cascade torrent salamander

This salamander is sensitive to temperature variation and increased sedimentation that may be caused by disturbances, such as logging and road construction.

Close up of an adult Columbia torrent salamander on moist ground. — Columbia torrent salamander

This salamander’s status is of concern in Washington based on the species’ small global range, narrow environmental requirements, and potentially unprotected headwater habitat.

A closeup of an Olympic torrent salamander on a wood surface. — Olympic torrent salamander

Conservation concerns for this salamander in Washington are based on its small global range and narrow environmental requirements. They are temperature-sensitive species with limited dispersal ability.

Newts (Family Salamandridae)

Close up of an adult rough-skinned newt on a log. — Rough-skinned newt

This species is common and occurs throughout western Washington. No widespread declines have been documented.

Frogs

Tailed frogs (Family Ascaphidae)

Close up of a coastal tailed frog in shallow water — Coastal tailed frog

While this frog is still relatively common and widespread, efforts have been devoted toward understanding and avoiding excessive stream temperature alterations and siltation caused by forestry practices.

Close up of a Rocky Mountain tailed frog. — Rocky Mountain tailed frog

In Washington, populations of these frogs are found only in the Blue Mountains, in the southeastern part of the state. The frog is vulnerable to management practices that alter the riparian or aquatic zones of streams.

True toads (Family Bufonidae)

Close up of an adult western toad among vegetation on the ground — Western toad

This toad’s population is unknown in the Puget Sound lowland and in lower Columbia River below the Bonneville Dam; only 19 out of 107 historical sites in these areas that remain, however, the species is locally common elsewhere in Washington.

Close up of a Woodhouse's toad — Woodhouse's toad

This toad is of conservation concern in Washington based on its small number of populations, a limited distribution restricted to shrubsteppe habitat that has been heavily altered for agriculture and urban development, and a lack of information about the species.

Treefrogs (Family Hylidae)

Close up of an adult Pacific treefrog with a light brown and green topside — Pacific treefrog

This is the most common frog species in Washington. While local declines are known to occur in some urbanized areas, this species persists in a variety of habitats, including developed and disturbed areas.

Spadefoot toads (Family Pelobatidae)

Close up of an adult Great Basin spadefoot toad. — Great Basin spadefoot

This toad occurs throughout the Columbia Basin and is locally common in many areas. No declines have been documented in Washington.

True frogs (Family Ranidae)

Close up of a Cascades frog — Cascades frog

This is a common frog that remains widespread throughout its historical habitat in Washington.

Close up of a Columbia spotted frog in a wetland — Columbia spotted frog

Populations of this species in the Columbia Basin are declining, likely due to habitat loss as well as alteration and other factors, such as fish stocking. This species is aquatic, so drying of ponds and creeks due to agricultural water withdrawals is a threat.

Largish brown and tan frog with dark brown spots crouched in the grass — Northern leopard frog

Only one native population of this frog remains in Washington, but WDFW and partners are working together to help recover this species.

Close up of a northern red-legged frog — Northern red-legged frog

This frog is a common species that remains widespread throughout its historical habitat in western Washington, however, declines in British Columbia, Oregon, and California cause concern.

Close up of an adult Oregon spotted frog — Oregon spotted frog

The Washington conservation status of this frog is based on its rarity in the state, primarily due to human-stressors causing loss or degradation of wetland, creek, and river habitats.

Turtles

(Family Cheloniidae)

A close up of a green sea turtle basking on a sandy beach in Hawaii. — Green sea turtle

These rare visitors off Washington's coast are declining, threatened by many factors primarily outside the state. Like other sea turtles, they are vulnerable to climate change and consumption of plastic pollution.

(Family Dermochelyidae)

Close up of a leatherback sea turtle after laying its eggs on a beach in Tobago. — Leatherback sea turtle

These turtles are rare and declining across their range, with an estimated 40 percent decline in the global population over the past three generations.

Underwater view of a loggerhead sea turtle swimming — Loggerhead sea turtle

These rare visitors off Washington outer coast are declining, threatened by factors occurring primarily outside of the state.

Pond turtles (Family Emydidae)

An adult western pond turtle in the hand of a WDFW biologist — Northwestern pond turtle

In the 1990s, only two populations of northwestern pond turtle remained in the Columbia River Gorge with estimates of less than 200 individuals. Because of recovery efforts, currently there are six populations with approximately 800 turtles, but many issues remain.

Close up of an adult painted turtle on grassy ground — Painted turtle

This turtle appears to be common in Washington and no specific conservation actions seem needed at this time; however, identifying where native populations actually occur is useful.

Lizards

Alligator lizards (Family Anguidae)

Close up of a juvenile northern alligator lizard — Northern alligator lizard

Occurrences of this lizard are widespread throughout the range and no declines have been reported.

Close up of a southern alligator lizard on the ground — Southern alligator lizard

This lizard has a limited range in Washington but can be common in suitable habitat.

Iguanids (Family Iguanidae)

Sagebrush lizard — Northern sagebrush lizard

This lizard's status is of concern in Washington based on the species’ rarity and its dependency on sand dunes in the Columbia Basin. Greater than 70 percent of this habitat type has been lost since the 1970s.

Small tan colored, fat and oval shaped pygmy short-horned lizard sunning itself on a rock — Pygmy short-horned lizard

This lizard's status is of concern in Washington because the species primarily occurs in shrubsteppe habitat; most of this habitat has been and continues to be converted to other uses or degraded by frequent fires and invasive weeds.

Close up of a side-blotched lizard on sand — Side-blotched lizard

This lizard's status is of concern in Washington based on the small number of populations and a distribution that is restricted to the heavily altered shrubsteppe vegetation of eastern Washington.

Close up of a western fence lizard — Western fence lizard

These lizards are common in Washington, however, bulkheading and bank stabilization projects in the Puget Trough may threaten populations, and the succession and invasion of shrubs onto oak-prairie habitat may have caused unknown losses.

Skinks (Family Scincidae)

Close up of a western skink — Western skink

Occurrences of this lizard are widespread throughout their range and no declines have been reported.

Snakes

Boas (Family Boidae)

Close up of a coiled rubber boa on the ground — Northern rubber boa

This species is likely more common than records show because: it is difficult to find these nocturnal, semi-fossorial snakes; most records are from chance encounters versus systematic surveys; and these snakes use a variety of habitats, suggesting they can adapt to different conditions.

Colubrids (Family Colubridae)

View of the topside of a California mountain kingsnake uncoiled on the ground — California mountain kingsnake

In Washington, this snake occurs at the northern extreme of its range, and the population is isolated from the rest of its range by approximately 200 miles.

Close up of a coiled common gartersnake on the ground — Common gartersnake

This is one of Washington’s most common snake species. No declines have been reported in the state but declines in amphibian populations could potentially result in declines of this species.

Close up of a coiled common sharp-tailed snake on the ground — Common sharp-tailed snake

This snake is of conservation concern in Washington based on the small number of documented populations, patchy distribution, and lack of information.

Closeup of a pair of hands holding a coiled desert striped whipsnake — Desert striped whipsnake

This is a subspecies of striped whipsnake. It is the state’s longest snake and one of its rarest, known only to exist in two areas in Grant County, Washington.

Close up of a coiled gophersnake — Gopher snake

These non-venomous snakes are common and widespread in eastern Washington. The species in western Washington is most likely no longer in existence.

Close up of a desert nightsnake on the ground. — Northern desert nightsnake

This small snake is found in the Columbia Basin in Washington. It is of conservation concern in the state based on its rarity and because it primarily occurs in shrubsteppe habitat, which is declining.

Close up of a northwestern gartersnake on grassy ground — Northwestern gartersnake

This snake is common in western Washington. No declines have been reported at this time.

A hand holds a coiled ringneck snake — Ring-necked snake

This snake is of conservation concern in Washington based on the small number of observations, patchy distribution, and lack of information.

Close up of a western terrestrial gartersnake — Terrestrial gartersnake

This is a wide ranging and common snake species associated with water. No declines have been reported in Washington at this time.

Close up of western racer (upper body) on the ground — Western racer

This snake is one of 11 subspecies of the North American racer (simply known as “racers”).

Vipers (Family Viperidae)

Close up of a western rattlesnake coiled on grassy ground — Western rattlesnake

This snake is common and widespread in eastern Washington. However, numbers in many areas have declined because of habitat loss, excessive hunting at den sites, and destruction of den sites.

Resources

References

Washington Herp Atlas. 2009. A cooperative effort of Washington Natural Heritage Program, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service. Map products updated March 2017. Provisional PDF version of the website (2005-2019) created July 2019. 250 pp.

WDFW educational resources

Wild Washington Lesson Plan – Herps in Washington - Elementary school students are introduced to the cold-blooded world of reptiles and amphibians, also known as herps.
Family Education – Amphibians and Reptiles - Slither, hop, or crawl on over to learn about herpetofauna!
Living with wildlife – Learn how to attract or avoid conflicts with frogs and snakes

Other resources

Burke Museum - Guide: Amphibians & Reptiles of Washington